This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and the heroine. Matthew and Isabel were well-written characters. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

Jess Michaels. What else needs to be said? This series is amazing. Definitely a reread. Can't wait for her next book!

Damn, this novel was addictive! The scandalous introduction kept me intrigued and before i knew it, the novel ended.

While i feel like more could have been discussed between the characters, I resign to the fact that historical romances lack decent communication skills. This was a very sexy, interesting historical romance, I fully recommend it!

Jess Michaels never fails to delight. The Duke of Hearts is an intriguing romance. Good solid characters. Plot is nicely developed and followed thru on.

Matthew has never been able to get over the death of his fiancé. One night he decides to drowned his sorrows with his friends at the Donville Masquerade. Isabel and Matthew meet and sparks fly, but the masks remain on. Will they soon learn of their connection? This is a fast paced read with lots of drama and an intense chemistry. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved it!

Second Chance at Love

I have been waiting to read Matthew's story since the beginning and this was beyond what I expected. I loved it so much. Matthew has made it to the top three behind Graham and Ewan in this series.

Ever since Matthew's fiance died a few years ago he has been a shell of the man he once was. That is until, he is dragged to a masquerade where he meets Isabel and his shell is cracked. Isabel is a widow who isn't ready for marriage again and wants to enjoy life. When she meets Matthew she is instantly intrigued. The chemistry and passion between these two had me on the edge of my seat since the beginning.

I can't wait to read more in this amazing series.

Duke of Hearts
Jess Michaels
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A sexy historical romance where Matthew gets a second chance at love after his fiancé drowned. He met this lovely woman at a masquerade so he didn’t know who she was. When she found out who Matthew was she knew it could go no further. But it’s difficult to keep true love apart.
I can’t wait for the next in this series to come out and see Hugh fall in love too.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale, is battling a broken heart after losing his fiance in a tragic accident. After some coaxing, his fellow unattached 1797 Club members, bring him to the sinful Donville Masquerade.

Widowed, Isabel Hayes, has lived a passionless life and she wants to change that by being an observer at the Donville Masquerade. Once she sees a masked attendee she wants to do more than be on the sidelines.

Matthew has finally awakened to lust after his encounter with the unknown woman. Little does he know but she is the cousin of his former fiance. With her Uncle believing Matthew is murderer, a plan is hatched to destroy the Duke. Will Matthew ever open his heart to Isabel or will he always be convinced she is working on behest of her Uncle?

once to a man who did not inspire passion and she’s been curious ever since. She has no intention of taking a lover at the Donville Masquerade, but to watch the activities there, just as she has been for weeks. But once the masked stranger pursues her, she is swept away.

It does happen, albeit rarely, that I find it hard to enjoy a story from this amazing author. It is just that, for me, I had a hard time believing that Matthew went from 0 to 100 in one evening in his feelings of companionship. It 'made it hard for me to distinguish love from lust. It seemed lust tipped the scales for me. I can still say that I am looking forward to the next story in the series!

Wow! Very good book. Jess Michaels out did herself again. This is a story about two people getting second chance for love. This is hot and very sexy book. It must read if you love the Dukes club series.

We’ve all been told of Matthew’s heartbreak in the previous novels in the series. I was so excited to learn that Matthew was finally going to get his chance at love. If you’re not up to date on his past, Matthew’s fiancee died some time before this series began. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t that long before. I knew it would take a special circumstance to bring love back to his doorstep.

Mrs. Isabel Hayes was forced into an arranged marriage once and fears she will be forced again soon. Her one escape is becoming a voyeur at a Donville Masquerade. One night she is brought into the pageantry without her consent, but a masked stranger saves her. It takes some time but once she realizes the man who brought forth a desire like no other is her late cousin’s betrothed, she has already fallen too hard. Isabel’s uncle and current benefactor blames Matthew for her cousin’s death. How could she fall in love with such a man? Because she knew long before meeting the man that he had nothing to do with her cousin’s demise.

This novel stands out from the rest of the series for more than one reason. I loved the idea of the masquerade! While our ladies in this series haven’t been angels, Isabel is the first to know their is some pleasure to be had even with the wrong partner. I loved that Isabel is a widow who takes it upon herself to find her own bliss if only for a few moments from behind a mask. The thought that Matthew found her because his friend forced him to go was as charming as it is sinful.

I could go on for hours about my love of this novel, but I would hate to spoil the experience for you. If you’ve loved this series so far, you will be enraptured by this Duke of Hearts. If you are any kind of romance enthusiast, one click this novel now. I guarantee you won’t be sorry.

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Duke of Hearts by Jess Michaels is book Seven in The 1797 Club series. This the story of Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale and Isabel Hayes. I have read the previous books in this series but feel this can be a standalone book.
Matthew is lost his fiancée in a accident that he feels guilty about and hasn't been able to move on. His good friend Robert talks him into going to the Donville Masquerade and to start living again.
Isabel is a widower whose husband was not a passionate person so she is curious of the pleasure house Donville Masquerade and goes there to watch. But on one outing she meets Mathew with them having masks on they don't know who the other is. But on another encounter she does see who he is and is shocked that he was once to marry her cousin. Isabel family feels that he is to blame for her cousin's death. Wanting to find out more about what happens she tries to meet Matthew again. But her Uncle feels it is time she remarries and goes to present her to the town there she meets with Matthew again and he finds out who she really is.
But can these two move forward past what has happened and how her family is feels about him?

Escapades!

Mrs. Isabel Hayes is looking for some sort of adventure before her family once again marries her to an aging suitor. Hence her voyeuristic attendance at the risqué Donville Masquerade. That was before she encounters Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale, who used to be her cousin's fiancé. A man who stirs her blood. A man with his own demons.
Isabel's cousin died in a tragic accident and her uncle blames the Duke. Nothing short of bringing about the Duke's downfall will suffice.
Can a relationship begin under such illicit circumstances blossom between Isabel and Matthew? Or Is it doomed before they start?
I was not as enamored of this Duke's Club story as I have been of others.

A NetGalley ARC

Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndall still mourns the lost of his fiancee three years past. His visit to the notorious Danville masquerade, with the urging of his friends, and meeting Miss Swan/Isabel Hayes, brought a new spark in his life. Isabel, a widow, who lives with her uncle, seeks for some passion in her life before she is married off to an older man once more. Isabel is grateful for the anonymity her mask provides and relishes being a voyeur, not a participant, until Matthew. Their mutual desire was palpable and they have given in to their burning need.
Isabel has a secret, and dreads the day Matthew discovers it. Moreover, her uncle has a deep-seated hatred for Matthew. What a turbulent state of affairs.

This is another beautiful addition to the 1797 Club series. It's a narrative of anguish, resentment, revenge, passion, desire, secrets and second chances. I can't help but emphatised with the interesting characters. It's beautifully written.

This is an eGalley copy which I voluntarily read. My opinions are honest, impartial, and all mine.

What’s it About? Matthew, the Duke of Tyndale lost his fiancé in a tragic accident and has only been pretending that he isn’t completely wracked with guilt and sadness. When his friends manage to convince him to attend the Donville Masquerade, a place where sin and vice are reveled in, he doesn’t expect to do much more than stand in a corner and watch. There he meets a mysterious stranger that he can’t resist and he spends the night with her. Widowed Isabel Hayes spent years in a passionless marriage and wants to experience what she never had before she is packed off into yet another passionless marriage, she just didn’t expect it to be with a man her family despises. Isabel is the cousin of Matthew’s fiance and while she has heard the worst about him, she can’t bring herself to believe it so she decides to use the attraction between her and Matthew to investigate him, but he soon finds out who she is and has to decide if he should continue to pursue the only woman that has made him feel alive for the first time in a while, or if he should stay away from the woman who could open up old wounds and put him in danger.




Overall reaction to the book? I am so glad that I didn’t have to wait until the end of the series for Matthew’s book. He has been this haunting figure in the background, hurting and feeling so guilty over his fiance’s death that he needed help fast before he just up and died on his friends. Jess Michaels delivered a worthy romance for him in my opinion. He didn’t just “get over” his grief and he didn’t bury himself in so deep that it seemed he was never going to get out. I fell in love with Matthew early on in the 1791 series. There was something so beautiful about a man who was capable of caring so much for his friends and at the same time he was hurting so much that he was only ghosting through life. A character like that just begs to be healed and loved which is why I also loved Isabel. She’s kind, and she’s smart, I loved that she wasn’t stupid enough to just take what her family said about Matthew as absolute truth. She was cautious which is what a smart woman does but she was fair. Not to mention fairly independent when it came to her thoughts and beliefs.


The special thing about Matthew and Isabel’s relationship in The Duke of Hearts is that their intense connection and attraction seems to catch them both off guard. That put them on an equal level because neither knew what to do about it. There was a real Romeo and Juliet vibe going on with them but without the teenage stupidity and unhappy ending. Their chemistry was really sexy but it was the tender moments between them that sold me. Matthew was so broken but he could still show affection and consideration for Isabel even when he wasn’t sure about her motives or even his own feelings towards her. As complicated as the situation was, these two had something undeniably special and their romance, heck the whole book is officially a rival of the first book in the series for the title of my favorite book of the series. And it has to do with the relationship between Matthew and Isabel.


I read The Duke of Hearts in like, two days and when I was done I realized that the series is close to its end. How can that possibly be? I felt like I just started the 1797 series yesterday! I don’t know what I’m going to do when the series is over, I have adored the friendship and brotherhood between these men because it is such solid, defining thing about each of them. Even if they are separated by time, life events, or conflicts within their group, they’re still 100% loyal to one another. It’s just the way Jess Michael’s has written this large friendship that has really gotten me hooked. I love romance but real and true friendships are just as important and I feel that has come across really well in each book, especially with this one since Matthew is a bit vulnerable. His friends rally around him to give unconditional love and support with a bit of teasing and tough love. Add in the wives and you have one very large, loving family. Who wouldn’t love that?


Click It or Skip It? Click. All the emotions, angst, and friendship make The Duke of Hearts a contender for my Best in Series title.

Review scheduled for 5/23

Another story by Jess Michaels to grab the heart. The hero, Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tydale has been despondent ever since his fiance Angelica Winter died in what he felt like was his fault. His friends at the 1797 club have been trying to get him back out into the world and he agrees to go to the Donville Masquerade with his friend Robert. Encountering a lady being accosted, he rescues her and they share a kiss. Isabel Hayes has been married once to a man with no passion in their union. Meeting Matthew for a second time brings them together and they become lovers. But she soon realizes that he was the man engaged to her cousin Angelica and has only heard from her uncle how he caused the death of his daughter. It seems a fated meeting, as can often be the case and she wants to believe Matthew is innocent, but when he finds out who she is, the story takes a turn. Can the real truth come out and can Matthew forgive himself and the two find happiness? I loved this story of Matthew and Isabel, both so deserving of happiness and love. Although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone, but I encourage you to read them all!!

Love, love, love! Matthew, Duke of Tyndale, has been mourning the death of his fiancée for three years. His friends drag him to a masquerade and he becomes intrigued by a masked lady. That lady is Isabel, the niece of his fiancée’s father. Their attraction grows and as they learn each other’s true identity, they struggle to find happiness.

The chemistry and romance between the two characters is off the charts. Isabel is a strong heroine who stands up for herself and I love that about her. Matthew is also a great man and I love reading about his friendships with the other dukes - I think they all make an appearance here!

Another great addition to this series. I highly recommend reading this book and entire series if you enjoy hot historical romances. Jess Michaels has never disappointed me!

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Another enthralling read in this series. Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale has been grieving for his lost love and his friends persuade him to go with them to the notorious Donville masquerade. There he meets Isobel Hayes, widow, who is looking for some passion in her life before she is married off to an older man again. However, although they have an instant attraction, there are many problems in their way, not the least being the animosity her uncle bears Matthew. I loved how all the other dukes and their wives supported Matthew. This was a captivating story of two very likeable characters who had experienced unhappiness in their lives and hoped for something better. I’m looking forward to the rest in the series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale I’ve been reading about him for a few books, how his fiancé drowned a few years ago and he feels guilty, he’s grieving with a broken heart. So glad to see this Duke brought back to life by Mrs. Isabel Hayes. Isabel’s first marriage was an arranged one with a much older man in a loveless and uncaring marriage, he has since died and left her a widow and destitute. Isabel finds herself looking for excitement in her life when she hears about a place called Donville Masquerade, which is a club where basically anything goes. Masked for the night Matthew and Isabel unexpectedly meet at the Donville Masquerade virtual strangers and all her fantasies come to life as he’s irresistibly drawn to her and the passion sizzles!!!
She’s torn between her loyalty to her family and her growing attraction to Matthew. Matthew doesn’t know what to believe she’s guilty of deception, he so wants to believe Isabel is innocent of everything, but he doesn’t believe in coincidences either. Isabel unwittingly becomes a pawn in her uncle’s revenge plot, Matthew doesn’t know what to believe and they’re both caught up in her Uncle’s hatred of Matthew and his need for revenge.
A captivating story of two people who desperately need saving and a story filled with romance, passion and intrigue as all the Dukes and their wives rally around Matthew and keep Isabel at arm’s length until she proves her worth and trustworthiness with their friends heart. 5 STARS!!! This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

"Everyone knows my story, don't they? It is all they talk about. The Duke of Tyndale and His Tragedy. It is practically folklore."

FINAL DECISION: These characters end up being just so nice and I liked them tremendously. The contrast being their so good character and how they meet gives what might otherwise be a too nice story some dash.

THE STORY: Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale, is urged by his friends to put aside his grief at the death of his fiancee three years ago and attend the Donville Masquerade, a sinful gathering where masked guests meet for sexual encounters. There Tyndale meets a masked stranger who he ends up spending the night with. Isabel Hayes is a widow whose elderly husband was chosen by her parents in an arranged marriage. Curious about what she missed in her marriage, Isabel comes to the Donville Masquerade to watch. But then she meets a masked stranger who tempts her to find the passion she missed. Eventually, however, Isabel realizes that her lover was the man engaged to her cousin and who her uncle blames for her death.

OPINION: I really, really liked the characters in this book. Both Matthew and Isabel are good and even gentle characters who find one another despite pasts which make them wary because the guards and shields are let down when they meet in a sinful and wicked way.

This book is hot and it manages to do that with very likable and nice characters. Although both have some pain in their lives, their inherent positivism contrasts with some of the other characters in the book who dwell in their unhappiness. I really liked that about these characters. The willingness to make the best of things, to look forward, to try and be happy.

Most of the conflict here ends up being external because these two hit it off almost from the start. In fact, they seemed so perfect for one another that I wondered how the dramatic tension in the story could be maintained -- and yet it was. All of the parts work here.

WORTH MENTIONING: I especially loved that we get to see so many of the members of the 1797 Club and their wives.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DUKE OF HEARTS is the seventh book in the 1797 Club series. The series tells the stories of a group of men destined to become dukes. Each book tells the story of one couple but the characters appear throughout the series. This book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

To be published on 5/21/18

I really enjoyed this installment of the 1797 Club - I will admit, second love romance is not my favorite trope and I am rarely satisfied with the "love" between the hero and heroine, but I am pleased to say, I did finish this book feeling like Matthew and Isabel were soulmates and were "meant to be".

Matthew Cornwallis, Duke of Tyndale has been mourning his late fiancée for the last three years, he has watched his friends find love and is convinced his chance for love died with Angelica. His friend Robert, the Duke of Roseford tells him he needs to start living again and badgers him into accompanying him to the Donville Masquerade - a pleasure club. He agrees to go, but plans to slip out once Robert is occupied. But when he notices a woman being harassed, he steps in and is shocked to feel an immediate attraction - more intense than he has ever had for ANY woman.

Isabel Hayes, is a widow living with her uncle, she has snuck out to the club to feel passion - she is not indulging, just watching. When Matthew saves her from unwanted advances, she is grateful and surprised to admit ~ aroused. They dance and share a kiss, shaken by the feelings, she bolts.


Days later, they both return to the club, neither can forget the connection they felt. This time, they take things further and make love, but when Isabel sees Matthew's face while he is readjusting his mask, she is horrified and again runs. Isabel is stunned, Matthew is her late cousin Angelica's fiancée and the man her uncle is convinced murdered her! She is torn, she cannot believe the gentle, considerate lover she met is capable of murder and decides to return to the club - to investigate him (that's her story and she is sticking to it!). When they meet again and spend another night of passion, she begins to probe him for information. She leaves not sure if he is grieving or guilty. She sneaks back into her uncle's house and is confronted by him, Her uncle Fenton says it is time for her to remarry and they will begin looking for a new husband at the Callis' ball.


At the ball, Isabel's uncle pairs her with a friend of his, a man 25+ years her senior, she is dishearten, she was already married to one older man and was unhappy, she certainly doesn't want to marry another.


Matthew is at the ball and sees Fenton, he is going to leave to avoid an ugly confrontation, but then he sees his mystery lover speaking to him and learns who she is - he confronts her and asks if their meeting was a trap - she swears she didn't know who he was when they met - he kisses her and leaves - angry and aroused. He goes home and tells himself to stay away from her, but his base self urges him to chase her and catch her. Her uncle is out for blood and tells Isabel. She decides that she must warn him and then will stay away.


When they meet again, she tells him to be wary of her uncle, he brushes off her warning, Fenton has been harassing him for years and nothing has ever come from it. When things become heated, they are caught together by her uncle and several other people. Isabel stands up to her uncle in his defense, but Matthew says they will marry.

Her uncle is thrilled that Tyndale is involved in a scandal, he tells Isabel that he had to sacrifice her in order to make everyone see that Matthew is a villain. She is sure her uncle has gone mad from the grief of losing his daughter, but she will not be a party to hurting Matthew, she tells her uncle Matthew is innocent of murder. She will marry Matthew, to protect him.

Matthew's friends are sure Isabel is in cahoots with her uncle and beg Matthew to reconsider marriage, but he is not sure, he knows that he wants her and has never felt anything like the feelings she invokes in him with any other woman, including Angelica. His friends meet her and make it clear that they do not trust her. Personally, I felt that Helena was especially cruel, I understand protecting a friend, but her interaction with Isabel went beyond warning her and charged into just plain mean and hurtful, without true cause.

They marry and at the wedding feast, Fenton becomes unhinged and makes hateful accusations, Isabel again defends Matthew and tells her uncle he is no longer welcome. Over the next few days, Isabel and Matthew forge a relationship, not just hot sex (although, there is plenty of that). Matthew begins to think they could have a true marriage and maybe love. When they are called to Ewan's home for the birth of his child, things change for them. His friends seem to welcome her into their set, Helena apologizes to her and Matthew knows that he wants her with him always.

It seems like they are well on their way to their HEA, when Fenton finally makes his move and Matthew realizes that he loves Isabel and it might just be too late to tell her.


This book is well written, flows nicely, has really HOT love scenes (YES!!) wonderful characters, a lot of emotion, a truly demented villain, an almost too good to be true heroine, cameos with the other dukes and their wives and a truly lovely ending with an epilogue. While I did feel that Matthew loved Isabel completely, I can't like some of the story points involving Angelica.

I would be happy to recommend this book and while I would suggest reading the series in order, this book could be read as a stand alone title.